Real Words. Real Impact.
"I'm so appreciative of the program as a whole. I've started to feel like an actual person again, gain some confidence back, move forward in therapy and started re-building my life. I couldn't have done that without you and all of your hard work."
* Names removed to protect anonymity
Safe Pets mean
Safe Families.
The decision to leave or to stay in an abusive home is complicated and fraught with fear. But for47% of survivors, the decision to leave comes down to one important factor: their pet. Nearly half of abuse victims will delay leaving their abuser, or will not leave at all, if they cannot take their pet with them to safety.
Most shelters do not accept pets. Tragically, this significant gap in service means that 60% of those escaping an abusive partner are forced to leave their pet behind with their abuser, and 1/3 of those survivors will consider returning to their abuser to protect their pet.
This is where SafePet Ontario comes in. We bridge this dangerous gap in the gender-based violence sector by providing pet-safekeeping for survivors of family violence and human trafficking in Ontario. By caring for their pets, SafePet Ontario ensures that survivors can escape their abuser and access supports and safe housing sooner.
We help survivors find safety by helping their pets find safety too.
If you are experiencing family violence or human trafficking and need a safe place for your pet(s), apply for our program now.
*All statistics provided by Dr. Amy Fitzgerald, "The Intersection of Animal Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence in Canada: Findings from Recent and Ongoing Research." University of Windsor.
The Impact of SafePet
35
requests are received each month for our pet-safekeeping service.
40
pets in our care at any given time, with an average stay of 8 months.
$0
is the cost to clients. Our programs are free of charge.
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